Travel is ...

. . . Occasionally awful!

Think of the passengers aboard Carnival Splendor. Their experience defines "awful."

I am not a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines, but many in the media have taken a lot of cheap shots at the Miami-based mega-company. You can be sure that in addition to the 3,500 passengers on the ill-fated ship, Carnival management certainly didn't want the vessel dying in the water off the coast of Mexico a day after departing California for a seven-day trip to the Mexican Riviera.

Many passengers had saved and planned for the cruise for years. For some it was a birthday or anniversary treat. One couple were on their honeymoon. For many it was a family getaway. But for the folks at Carnival it was a big bucks investment going nowhere fast and incurring the wrath of news people around the world. I heard one prominent network political reporter ask "why don't they just bring another ship alongside," as though Carnival has a fleet of empty ships standing by. Another said the crew panicked, a third thought the crew was heroic. On and on it went and finally, three days after the power went off, the passengers disembarked in San Diego with vouchers for future cruises and stories to dine out on for years. And network news went back to what it was doing before.

I would not have enjoyed the experience. Of this I am sure. But it was not a plan. It was not a Carnival itinerary to sail and fail. That's not what cruising is all about. I've been on dozens of Carnival cruises and have found their security measures comforting. In fact all cruise lines these days offer broad-based security.

But on sea, as in life, stuff happens. (And hey, how much fun was the Quantas flight when the engine dropped off?)

Cruising is about enjoying a sea-based vacation. A concept about 13-14 million North American travelers have embraced this year.

Coincidentally, a week after the Splendor experience new ships will be sailing out of Port Everglades: Seabourn Sojourn, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam and Celebrity's Eclipse. Long may they sail.